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You could call it a tangerine almond smoothie, or a tangerine creamsicle drink–both names suggest the flavors going on here. But if you’ve ever tasted the creamy citrus-y vanilla-y trademark orange Julius, your mouth is already watering. This healthy tangerine julius smoothie is a healthful riff on the famous orange beverage.

Tangerines are on January’s The Vintage Mixer seasonal produce list, and the juicy, honey-sweet orange cuties got me thinking smoothies. A test batch was yummy, but it didn’t have much orange color—and then I remembered an orange spice that had recently come under my radar–turmeric.

On a Mexican country road last fall, we stopped at a palm frond-covered nieve stand for artisan-made frozen refreshments. After sampling at least five fresh fruit flavors, I settled on a delicious orange-hued sorbet made from starfruit and azafran. And wondered what the heck is azafran?

My friend thought it was some kind of saffron, but that didn’t make sense. Saffron is world’s most expensive spice, and my cup of of nieve cost a dollar’s worth of pesos.

The next day in the market, we spied a hand-written sign—azafran–tucked in a basket of knobby orange finger-like roots. I recognized them right away as fresh turmeric. Ha! Azafran is turmeric–turmeric was the mystery flavor in my nieve!JUMP DIRECTLY TO RECIPE

Turmeric rocks!

Fresh turmeric hangs out in the produce aisle next to its rhizome cousin, knobby ginger. Both fresh spices are distinctly different than their ground counterparts, and both bring sprightly flavor plus health benefits to this smoothie.

Turmeric is tonic. Long known for its powerful medicinal qualities, its anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, and anti-cancer benefits, newer studies show turmeric’s potential to improve brain and kidney function, blood sugar balance, and gut health.

If you can’t find fresh turmeric, substitute the dried spice. It won’t taste quite the same as with fresh turmeric, but you’ll still get the brighter orange color, along with all the healthy turmeric benefits.

When the Spanish-language label reads azafran Español, then azafran is the pricy yellow-orange threads, Spanish saffron. I bought both turmeric and saffron, both labeled azafran, here in Baja. The knobby orange fingers went in my healthy tangerine julius smoothie, and the expensive saffron is about to go in Garlic and Leek Soup, a delicious recipe I want/need to update with photos.

#Eat Seasonal:

Be sure to check out Becky’s The Vintage Mixer blog for her list of seasonal fruits and veggies, with links to more than 70 seasonal recipes. For even more inspiration, follow the links below to other food blogs featuring produce from Becky’s January list. We hope our recipes encourage you to get in the kitchen and cook something delicious—and seasonal!

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25 comments

My mouth is watering over this smoothie, Letty! I’ve been wanting to try turmeric in a smoothie but haven’t gotten around to it, and now I really want to! This is on my must-try list. Reply · 9 January, 2017

Gracias Maura. I loved those Orange Julius drinks too. In my 20’s I would make them at home with frozen orange juice concentrate, milk, and vanilla! Reply · 10 January, 2017

Maura Mark

P.S. I can’t stop making these smoothies. The first try, I forgot the almond milk even after making my own! I had added 4 tangerines, so there was plenty of liquid and it was really delicious. Now I see your carrot soup post. Will try that next. xo Reply · 16 January, 2017

What a find, Letty! I have never seen fresh tumeric before! Both you and tumeric were on my mind this past week — we were at Deer Valley, and of course, I thought of you and your sweet creations – and pointed out the plaque to my daughter that was on display with your name and the insanely good Chocolate Snowball at Royal Street Cafe. While we were there, we also had a discussion about the benefits of tumeric over lunch – talk about worlds colliding!

Thank you Liren! I hope you got some good skiing while you were there! My husband takes a turmeric supplement and I’m trying to figure out ways to use the fresh. He loves this smoothie! Reply · 10 January, 2017

[…] that I’ve been a part of for several years. Last year, I chose tangerines, and blended up a super-healthy tangerine Julius smoothie. The January before that, pink grapefruit inspired a burnt honey custard tart topped with […] Reply · 8 January, 2018

Hello and welcome!
I’m Letty.
I create meatless and plant-based recipes with seasonal whole foods, just for you! My wish is to inspire you, to help you cook food that's both healthy and delicious!
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